


Stick With Me, Darlin'

by katsclawswrites



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), College, Eventual Smut, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, Sorry He'll Leave Eventually, Stretch is the best guy friend we all deserve tbh, Stretch is your best friend, Super Boring Generic Boyfriend, Your cat's name is Jeff Goldblum, and he cannot stand your bf, sorry for the cliches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2019-10-17 18:39:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17565884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katsclawswrites/pseuds/katsclawswrites
Summary: You're a college student enjoying the perks of living on your own and surviving adult life as you know it. Along with your best bone friend, Stretch, you feel as if you could really conquer anything.However, with a new boyfriend, of whom Stretch highly disapproves of, the tugging feeling that your best friend means more to you than you originally thought, and many other college shenanigans, you can already confirm that you're in for a wild, junior year.





	1. Tear In My Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Welcome to my first ever fic I'm actually posting (and not hoarding like a dragon). I'm SO excited for this fic - I absolutely ADORE Stretch and think he needs even more love than what he's already given. Of course, I'm all for a college, friends-to-lovers trope any day of the week, so I figured "why not?"  
> I pitched the idea to my best friend, who told me to go for it and has been encouraging me to post for a while. I can't thank her ENOUGH for being so supportive and even reading the chapter first and giving me feedback before I could post it.  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy!!  
> Song is Tear In My Heart by Twenty One Pilots.  
> Italics are reader's scattered thoughts.

_Late. Late again. Not the first time this semester and certainly not the last._

You can probably count the amount of times you’ve been early or on time for a function on one hand. You must admit, not one of your best qualities as a human but you manage.

Was it such a good idea to live in an apartment off campus on damn near the other side of town? Your wallet and bank account would both agree wholeheartedly, but your need to sleep in an extra fifteen minutes and scroll through your phone for another ten laughs in your face.

Your poor cat watches you run through the hallway of your apartment; between your bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, back to the bedroom, once more to the kitchen to check if your Mr. Coffee is even working properly (damn that thing is going to croak at some point), and of course the bedroom once more to grab your sneakers.

A pathetic sounding meow catches your attention as you’re hopping on one foot to get a shoe on. Jeff Goldblum (yes, that _is_ your cat’s name and you are so damn proud of it) sits at the end of the hallway, green eyes following your every movement and probably questioning his owner’s sanity.

_Fuck, I’m definitely putting the shoe on the wrong foot._

“There is food in your bowl, you greedy monster. Meowing louder will not make me give you more, either!” You manage to finally put each sneaker on the correct foot, after much effort to keep yourself from falling flat on your face and scoop up the little grey cat in an embrace.

You coo as he makes a desperate attempt to escape, “While I’m gone, you know to stay out of the sink and away from the laundry basket. Finding my underwear in the middle of the living room after I bring home an adorable and potentially fuckable study date is still on my shit list, Jeff.” The cat manages to squirm out of your hold, jumping onto the floor and hurrying over to his food bowl. 

_Let’s see what time it is._

You slip your phone out of your pocket to just briefly check the time-

_9:35._

“SHIT! I have less than thirty minutes to drive to campus, park, walk, _and_ be in class by ten o’clock!” You groan out loud, jogging over to your kitchen to search through your cabinets for an insulated mug big enough to hold all your coffee.

How were you even going to make it to class on time? While you were unsure, you _had_ to go. The professor stresses the importance of just showing up to class to get credit or else “enjoy watching your grade plummet.” The professor happens to be a nice guy and pretty lenient when it comes to assignments, but attendance is his biggest worry. However, your best friend and you were already on thin ice with this guy, as he’s caught you two laughing in the back of the room on two separate occasions. So, in order to stay on his good side, you _must_ show up to class.

Grabbing the mug off the shelf, you rush over to the coffee maker, pouring as quickly as you could and sealing the lid, not even bothering to take a first sip as your feet move you quickly towards your car keys and backpack that reside on your small dining room table.

_Alright, keys, coffee, my wallet, backpack… do I even have my laptop? Ah, there it is. Behind the giant fucking eighty-dollar textbook required for this class. Have I even opened it once? Nevermind that._

You pick up your hoodie, slipping your arms through the sleeves before throwing your backpack over your shoulder and stuffing your keys into your pocket.

“Alright, Jeff. Remember our little talk and be good! I’ll be home later.” You yell out to your cat as you finally check the time before opening the front door.

_9:39. Four minutes, not bad. Still late as fuck though._

Fumbling with your keys for a moment, you finally lock up your apartment door and head out towards the stairs. It’s easily a fifteen-minute drive to campus, twelve if you truly speed. You’re calculating your total drive time as you open your passenger door to your shitty compact car, throwing your backpack down into the seat.

_Maybe I could even make it in ten if I don’t have to stop at any lights AND I speed…_

You circle around the front of the car to the driver seat, starting it up and buckling the seatbelt while also connecting your phone to the car speaker to play music on the way there. You’re hoping that you can make it within fifteen minutes to campus, since you still need to walk (at this point – run) to the art building to get to class.

_Literally why did I even need to sleep in? How ridiculous am I? I really could’ve used those extra twenty-five minutes to de-stress- NO- Make it on time to campus for once._

Pulling out of the apartment complex parking lot, you were immediately greeted with a familiar tune on your Spotify.

**Sometimes you gotta bleed to know**  
**That you’re alive and have a soul**

_Alright, I am going to start waking up **on time**. I cannot take this “rushing out of the front door just to make it” routine I’ve somehow developed anymore! I mean I didn’t even get to eat a cinnamon raisin bagel that I bought a whole package of this weekend! Do I really want to live like this for the remainder of the semester? Rushing and starving in the mornings?_

First stoplight – green.

**But it takes someone to come around**  
**To show you how**

_Okay one out of seven down. Smooth so far. Just need to get through the other six. Wait – the bagel reminds me; did I even turn off the coffee maker? Not that it has anything else to brew but that’s going to be so hot to deal with when I get home._

**She’s the tear in my heart**  
**I’m alive**  
**She’s the tear in my heart**  
**I’m on fire**  
**She’s the tear in my heart**  
**Take me higher**  
**Than I’ve ever been**

_Oh no, what about the sheets in the washer? I completely forgot to move them over to the dryer! Geez I’m a mess. This is exactly why you need to start waking up earlier, _______! You have so many chores to deal with right when you get home from class and are you going to want to do them? No, you’ll make a stupid excuse as you always do._

You drive through stop light number 2, practically praying that the rest of this trip will be this easy to get through. If that’s the case, your internal debate with yourself may not be necessary after all.

**The songs on the radio are okay**  
**But my taste in music is your face**

_No, I cannot excuse my behavior and stupid choices I make anymore. I absolutely need to start trying to get a better sleep schedule because staying up late to talk on the phone with my new cute boyfriend and then reading the latest chapter of my favorite fic will no longer cut it. Okay but, I seriously couldn’t miss this new chapter- what if the scientist I’ve been lusting after for twenty chapters has finally declared his undying love for me, the reader, who is also his assistant? Shit – I still haven’t even tasted my coffee!_

**And it takes a song to come around**  
**To show you how**

You pick up the mug that sits in the center console, waiting in the cupholder for you to acknowledge it. Bringing it to your lips, you’re not prepared with the taste of bitterness on your tongue. Your face scrunches up in disgust as you put the mug right back where it was, trying to hold back the urge to spit it out instead of swallow.

_Yuck! Did I forget to put sugar and creamer in this thing? AGAIN, nonetheless? See if I wasn’t running late, I probably would’ve remembered to make my coffee taste less like ass._

**She’s the tear in my heart**  
**I’m alive**  
**She’s the tear in my heart**  
**I’m on fire**  
**She’s the tear in my heart**  
**Take me higher**  
**Than I’ve ever been**

You see the next stoplight up ahead, glowing green as car after car goes through. A car is pulling up to the intersection, ready to turn left whenever their own light turns green. As if on trigger, your light turns yellow, but to your judgment, it looks like you can pass through if you just went a little faster.

_C’mon, c’mon; this light itself is the bane of my existence. This is what caused me to be dreadfully late to my biology final last semester. So late that the teacher was hesitant to even let me take it the same day! Thank god for Dr. Dellinger._

_I gotta make it through! I just gotta. Almost there-_

“hey sugar, what’s the rush?” A voice says right next to your ear, coming from the backseat.

Gasping, you immediately **slam** on your brakes so hard, you can hear your tires skid across the asphalt, your car coming to a complete halt in no time. You bounce in the seat as your car shakes after impact, feeling your head hit the back of your fabric seat as you pant. Looking down, your knuckles are completely white as they grip the steering wheel. You have to calm yourself for a moment from how absolutely startled you are, as you were completely unaware that another person - or being rather, was in the car with you.

Luckily you know exactly who he is.

“STRETCH! I SWEAR TO GOD!” You shout, looking into the rearview mirror to find your best friend chuckling and leaning forward in the seat.

Stretch, oh boy, where to even begin with Stretch. You met him in high school when monsters were suddenly free to roam where they please rather than be stuck in the underground. You approached him first, as you were completely fascinated with the whole concept of monsters and it certainly wasn’t everyday you see a walking, living, breathing skeleton.

Well, now it’s an everyday thing, but still.

You two became fast friends as he always had something funny to say in conversation and you showed a lot of kindness and patience towards his brother, Blue. You enjoyed a lot of the same music too, passing notes between classes about different bands you should each check out during your free period. He was also always emotionally there for you especially during your first breakup, or when you had to let go of a friend who decided she was better off in the popular clique rather than with you. He certainly _was_ your biggest support in your life besides your parents and Blue. 

Before you both graduated, you weren’t sure you could stand to be away from him, so you convinced him to go to the same university as you. He was set to go to the community college nearby, but he realized it would be boring if it meant he couldn’t be with his best friend. So eventually, you were able to persuade him and now you’re both in your junior year, somehow managing.

_Somehow._

Stretch watches you glare at him in the mirror, grinning in amusement at the frazzled hairstyle you’re now sporting, “damn. didn’t mean to scare you like that. however, i’m surprised you didn’t notice the orange lump in your backseat.” He reached forward to smooth down your hair, his phalanges tucking a few strands behind your ear.

You keep scolding though, swatting his hand away, “It’s probably second nature for me by now to see an orange lump in my backseat, considering you’re always leaving your sweatshirts in here! I cannot believe you were back there the whole time and didn’t say anything when I first got in the car!”

“sorry, was nappin’.” He shrugs, completely apathetic to the alarm written all over you. 

You roll your eyes in response, “Whatever. Can you at least explain to me why you were sleeping in my car when you have your own dorm room with a perfectly good, functioning bed?”

There’s a deep rumble in Stretch’s voice as he lets out a single laugh, “sometimes ya can’t kill old habits, sugar. ‘sides,” he leans back in the backseat, putting his high-top sneaker covered feet on the center console and his arms behind his skull, “i figured i’d hitch a ride for our class together.” His eye sockets were closed when you checked the rearview mirror again, seeing as the light finally turned green again and you had a solid eight minutes to go to get to campus. 

“Look, next time you want a ride, please just ask me rather than making me almost piss myself because I had no idea you were in the car with me. For god sakes, Stretch, I was close to punching you in the jaw because I seriously thought you were a serial killer!” 

Again, he shrugs his shoulders and hums in response, “i deserve that.” 

A comfortable silence falls between the two of you as you pass through the fourth stoplight, just peacefully enjoying the surroundings of the city your university is centered in. You’re sure that Stretch fell back to sleep right after he spoke to you; he always does that at the drop of a hat. It certainly is a special talent of his, you’ve noted that over the years of being friends. A small snore from the backseat confirms your suspicions and you can’t help the small grin that grows on your face as you watch his sweatshirt somehow rise and fall to the rhythm of his breathing. 

However, Stretch’s pleasant nap is interrupted not too shortly after it starts as your phone buzzes on the center console. You observe him open a single eye socket in the mirror before he eyes your phone. 

“hm, lemme guess: our man ‘if i were to describe him as a color, i’d pick gray’ is texting you good morning?” Stretch raises a bone brow (somehow), a hint of sarcasm in his tone. All you can do is give him a disapproving look from your view in the front seat. 

Indeed, you’re in a relationship; a new, _blossoming_ relationship, so to speak. You met Marc over Tinder (how romantic) after you read that the two of you have similar movie tastes and he was enrolled in the same college as you. Immediately after scrolling through his pictures (he was _pretty_ cute, in your opinion, with those handsome hazel eyes on display behind those brown-framed glasses along with his six-foot tall figure), you chose to swipe right and there was an immediate match between the two of you. 

Of course, Marc initiated the conversation with a simple hello and the two of you fell into a routine of texting back and forth throughout the day, quizzing each other on certain interests. You enjoyed finding out the little details about him and eventually you would start seeing each other for little coffee dates at the campus cafe or he’d walk you to certain classes.

Stretch had noticed a change in your behavior immediately after you and Marc had started talking, observing how you would grin down at your phone whenever it vibrated or how you would make him repeat whatever he just said because you didn’t pay attention to a single word he said in conversation. He decided to leave it alone until it really started to irk him and Stretch rarely gets annoyed about anything. I mean, c’mon, does your phone really need to in your face at all points within the day?

“what’s got you all distracted, hon?” He questioned out of the blue one day as you two were cozied up on his dorm bed, a B-List horror movie playing on his laptop in front of the two of you. You and Stretch were sharing a blanket with your backs against the wall of the room. But his attention was on you now, peering down at you as your phone was, of course, right in front of your face and completely diverting all of your attention from the movie. And him.

You glanced up at him from your phone, completely unphased from his obvious annoyance, “Hm?” 

Stretch continued, “usually you’re in stitches about my jokes of who’s gonna die in these shitty flicks. won’t lie, sugar, that cuts kinda deep for a guy like me.” 

Oh no, you _definitely_ felt bad now. He still had his usual lazy grin on his face, but it looked somewhat strained and he sounded slightly irritated, which was rare for Stretch in itself. You let out a sympathetic sigh, “Oh Stretch, no. No, I’m so sorry for not paying attention to you. I’ve been so caught up in Marc and-“

“marc?” A curious raised bone brow indicated he has zero knowledge of the guy even existing. Of course he didn’t, you’d never uttered a word about Marc around Stretch. You didn’t know that this relationship between the two of you would even go so far. 

You leaned forward to pause the movie, unlocking your phone and opening up your Tinder app, “I’m not _extremely_ proud of this, but I met this guy on Tinder-“

“oh no. don’t tell me this is gonna be another ‘derrick with a doorknob dick’ incident.” The sarcastic smirk across his features pointed out he was only joking, but that didn’t stop you from giving him a playful smack on his sternum through his orange sweatshirt.

“Shut up! No! I thought we agreed to never bring that guy up ever again,” you dramatically shuddered, causing Stretch to chuckle before moving his hand in a way to urge you to continue, “but anyway. I saw Marc and after reading his bio and how we both like the same movies, as well as searching through his pictures. Well... I swiped right.” After searching through your photos on your phone, you found a recent selfie of Marc to show to Stretch. You easily picked the one he sent to you on Snapchat where he was walking to class, a small grin on his face as the sun hit his hazel eyes just right. 

Stretch took the phone out of your hands and examined the picture for a few, agonizing moments. He was absolutely judging him; he’d done this with every single boyfriend you’ve had in the past. You don’t blame him but the anticipation of his reaction killed you because he never tended to express any emotion during the judgment. You couldn’t even read if he would go one way or another.

Before another second could pass, he simply shrugged his shoulders and handed the phone back to you, “dunno, sugar. think ya got your left and right mixed up. do you need a trick on how to remember? it’s simple really.” Stretch held up both of his hands and stuck out his phalanges in an “L” fashion, playfully grinning at your eye roll. You pushed his arms down to his sides as you groaned.

“Smartass! No, I knew what I was doing. I’ll have you know he’s working towards hopefully getting his Master’s next fall.” You added in with confidence, hoping this would convince Stretch to like Marc just a _tiny_ bit more.

Stretch snorted, “i’m workin’ on my master’s too. masterin’ in baiting. you could say i’m a master baiter once i graduate.”

“STRETCH!” You gasped out as he laughed at your surprised reaction. 

“hey, four more years after that and you can call me doctor baiter, hon.” 

You shook your head, putting your blushing face into your hands, “I can’t even BELIEVE you right now. We’re going back to the movie! I am not discussing this with you any further!” You fumbled to hit start again, putting your phone far off to the side as possible as you snuggled back into the blanket, doing your best to ignore the teasing from Stretch about you blushing. 

A few months later and you’re here, still not able to convince Stretch that your significant other is not a dull, two-dimensional character with a lack of drive to do anything remotely interesting. 

“He’s a gentleman, so of course he’s sending me a good morning text rather than almost making me crash my car by popping out in the middle of nowhere because he was taking a nap in the backseat of my vehicle.” You tease, reaching over to pick up the phone as you notice you’re finally making your way through the fifth stoplight, meaning you’ll be at the school soon enough. 

You’re about to unlock the phone when Stretch, who is now in the front seat and you know for sure did not climb over that seat, takes the phone out of your hand and clicks his tongue at you, “textin’ ‘n drivin’, sweetheart? you were raised better than that.” 

“Oh _now_ you’re going to lecture me? If I recall, you didn’t say a word when we were FaceTiming the other day while I was driving because you needed some answers on that quiz for class!” You were glancing between the road and Stretch as he was holding your phone, reading the message notification on your front screen.

He rereads the message out loud to you, “‘good mornin’, beautiful’. that’s it? no ‘good mornin’, can’t wait to dick ya down later?’ he’s so lame.” 

Ignoring Stretch’s comment, you feel your heart leap from just the sweet compliment Marc sent you. He really is a sweet, adorable guy and so far there isn’t a flaw that he has that annoys you. Sure, sometimes it’s hard to pick a place to go out to eat because he’s picky about his food choices (the quality has to be the best of the best) and certainly trying to pick a place to hang out with him can be tricky. But all in all, you really appreciate how accepting Marc is and how easy it is to get along with him. 

Stretch’s voice interrupts your thought progress, reeling you back into the conversation between you and him, “d’you want me to respond for you? i don’t mind.” 

His offer, which he’s presented quite happily (and Stretch is anything but thrilled when it comes to Marc), is suspicious. But you will give your best friend the benefit of the doubt and let him give it a shot, “Alright, I’ll let you. Try to say something like ‘good morning, handsome! Can’t wait for lunch later!’ And end it with a heart eyes emoji or something.” 

Your eyes are too focused on the road ahead of you as you pass by the last stoplight on your trip to the university (thank god it stayed green. It’s even worse to get stuck at that intersection, especially on school days since many students were also driving to campus at the same time as you) and your brain is too overloaded with joy at the thought of spending some time with Marc later today.

But the rustling in the seat next to you finally snaps you back to your attention as you looked directly at the perpetrator. Stretch, whom you knew you couldn’t trust with your phone, is working at untying the strings of his black sweatpants with one hand and holding your phone at such an angle with the other that truly raised your suspicions. He’s only truly doing one thing-

“Are you… are you taking a dick picture, Stretch?! Oh my god! Why?! I have so many questions!” You want to yank your phone out of the grasp of his phalanges immediately and just pray that he didn’t say anything embarrassing about you. 

“aw, c’mon, sugar, i was only kiddin’. i wasn’t actually gonna do it. jus’ wanted to spook ya.” He’s laughing as you reach over to seize your phone from him, shaking your head at Stretch’s actions. You place the phone in your lap (that text to Marc is just going to wait. You’ll finish it when you get to campus) and huff out a frustrated sigh. 

You mumble under your breath, “You are never allowed to send a reply to Marc, ever. I cannot trust you to not send him something embarrassing.” 

You’re too distracted with Stretch and his nonsense to notice you’ve _finally_ made it to the turn for campus. The time on your car radio clock reads that you had five minutes to park, walk, and make it to your Art History class within the time limit. Parking is already a struggle enough when on time for any of your classes, so this should be another interesting adventure to have. 

You pull into the giant parking lot, starting your trek to find an open spot, “Ugh, next year, I’m taking shitty online courses and avoiding this mess, I swear.” 

Stretch yawns, gazing over at you, “mmm, then how could we have these fun, college adventures together, hon? by the way, there’s a spot to your left.” You immediately slam on your brakes again, looking left to see, indeed, an empty parking space. 

“Oh sweet Jesus, it’s a miracle,” you turn in to park, finally shutting your car off before reaching over and giving Stretch a dramatic kiss on his cheekbone, “I forgive you for all that’s happened this morning since you managed to find a close space.” You don’t miss the slight, but very rare, orange blush that crosses his cheeks. 

He says nothing but winks as the two of you exit the car, both grabbing your backpacks while you lock your car. 

As you begin walking towards the art building, he reaches over, wraps an arm around your shoulders, and pulls you close, “stick with me, darlin’ and we’ll get through just ‘bout everythin’.”


	2. Taco Bell and Chill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I am SO sorry for the long wait between these two chapters! I have been extra busy with life lately (I'm getting married in September so I've been dealing with wedding stuff for the past few weeks plus my fiance and I adopted another cat recently lmao.) My hands have been so full and I've been trying to find the time to really find my zen so I could write this chapter. Anyway, excuses aside, I'm excited for you to read the next chapter. Stretch is definitely fun to write for, dialogue and all.  
> As always, couldn't do this without the support of my best friend. She knows she's my main bitch lmao.  
> Without further ado, enjoy Chapter 2!!

“hey, it’s me. i’m probably sleepin’ or somethin’. leave a message.” 

With the phone against your ear, you groaned at Stretch’s dull voicemail, curling your legs underneath you. You were currently sitting on the couch in your living room, your cat Jeff sitting comfortably in your lap. He purred in appreciation as you moved your hand to scratch behind his ears. 

The phone beeped, “Stretch Pants! I love you, but I swear sometimes I wanna just square up with you! You promised earlier to come over so we can take this Art History quiz and stuff our faces afterwards while watching Netflix. It’s now,” you glanced quickly at the clock on your phone, “four hours later! That’s plenty of naptime. Call me back soon.” 

Ending the voicemail and call, you sighed before placing the phone down next to you on the couch arm. Jeff snuggled more into your lap, resting his head on your thigh. 

“I just had to pick the laziest person on this planet to be best friends with!” This had happened before; the infamous napper has slept through a whole Friday night hangout after getting so blazed that he couldn’t even get out of bed. Stretch does not have a tendency of being flaky but it does annoy you when he promises something and doesn’t follow through. 

Jeff didn’t appreciate your venting though and stood up, arching his back in a stretch before hopping off your lap and strutting towards his food bowl.

You called after him, “Hey, freeloader! A thanks for scratching behind the ears would be pleasant.” As all cats do though, he completely ignores you while munching. You shake your head in response, snuggling more into the giant, orange sweatshirt your best friend so kindly left at your apartment one time while staying over. It’s never been returned to him nor has he said anything towards you that would make you hand it back over, so it’s become typical loungewear for you. 

With no response from Stretch via text or call, you decided to scroll through the apps on your phone, noting how half the people you went to high school with are either engaged, married, or expecting. Not that you even cared; most of those girls didn’t treat you too kindly after you became best friends with a monster. Stretch paid them no mind throughout your time at school there and even taught you how to ignore their inessential whispering and constant racist comments. Though, you can’t help but snort at the bad karma some of the girls received, especially the ones who felt compelled to say some of the most inhumane remarks towards him. 

It’s quite a shock to you when you hear a sudden knock on your front door, causing you to jump high in your seat at the noise. Jeff, being the “scaredy cat” that he is, sprinted towards the bedroom upon hearing the sound and basically let you know that you were on your own with this surprise guest. 

You sauntered over to the front door, peeking through the peephole to see a familiar figure leaning against the door frame. He looked to be holding a carrying box you’ve seen many times before. Huffing to yourself, you reached for the knob and opened the door and were immediately greeted with the lazy grin of your best bone friend. 

“sorry i’m early. i brought you taco bell,” Stretch shuffled past you and into your apartment, dropping the box on your coffee table. You were not astonished at Stretch’s choice of dinner; this was a typical meal for him as he would indulge in Taco Bell’s deals especially after smoking. Also, bringing you tacos happened to be his way of saying _‘I’m late, I overslept, and I’m very sorry. Here’s food to alleviate your stress about me being incredibly late. Please accept my apology.’_

You shut the door behind him, quick to lecture the skeleton on his fashionably late status, “Stretch, you took a four hour nap and then you were supposed to be here an hour ago. I _hardly_ call that ‘being early’ by any means.” 

He shrugged to himself, “hey, i meant early by my standards, sugar. now, where is my favorite son?” As if on cue, the gray cat trotted out into the living room, quick to start rubbing against Stretch’s black sweatpants. Jeff loudly purred as Stretch bent down to pick him up and cradle him in his arms. 

Dropping the subject of his lateness, you observed as Jeff lounged in Stretch’s arms, completely comfortable even in a position that most cats would despise. The skeleton stood up fully, “I fucking feed this cat, give him constant affection, _and_ I let him nap anywhere he pleases. But, he never lets me hold him like you do.” You had to stand on your tiptoes to even get a glance at your cat.

“i’m the favorite parent, hon. who does he choose to sleep with whenever i stay over?” He smugly mentioned. 

You rolled your eyes at his comment, “Stretch, he sleeps with you because you’ll bring a _whole_ box of Cheez-Its to the bed with you and he thinks it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet.” 

Stretch bent over to let Jeff out of his grasp, reaching down to smooth out his fur, “jeff deserves baked cheese as much as the rest of us do.” The two of you watched him strut away and climb on top of your dining room table. 

“So, you ready for this quiz?” You questioned, walking over to the kitchen to search the cabinets for two plates for dinner. Stretch, of course, made himself comfortable on your couch, flopping down on the cushions. Due to his height, his legs had to hang off the arm while his head hit the pillow at the other end. 

There was a pause in your conversation before he called out to you, “we had a quiz?” Immediately, you popped your head back into the living room, glancing at Stretch, who’s bone brows were furrowed in confusion. 

You groaned, gripping the two plates on the counter and carrying them over to the couches, “Stretch Pantalones! Yes, we have a quiz! It’s due tonight! Dr. Wright told us that in class. That’s literally the whole reason you’re here!” 

“darlin’, y’know i was sleepin’.” 

You opened your mouth and put a hand to your chest in mock shock, “You? Sleeping during a lecture? That is brand new for you, Stretch. You _never_ fall asleep in class!” You reached over to grab the Taco Bell box, ready to satisfy the hunger that has been haunting you for an hour now. If Stretch was here earlier, this task could’ve been completed easily. 

The skeleton snorted, shoving his hands in his sweatshirt pocket, “don’t act cute, sugar. if it were up to me, i’d be graded on my nappin’ skills.” His white eye lights were on you as you started stacking your plates with tacos and hot sauce packets. 

“The first time you get a perfect score on an assignment _plus_ the extra credit bonus points!” You joked and in your peripheral, you noticed his expressionless face as he stared back at you. Taking a seat on the other couch, you were instantly joined by your gray furball, who was happy to curl up next to your thigh. 

Stretch sits up, grabbing his plate that you so kindly filled with the contents of the box before returning to the same position. You were starting up your computer that sat on the coffee table in front of you, giving Jeff next to you a quick pet on his back. 

“so where’s your boy toy?” Stretch said between munches of his taco, his mouth still full of food. 

You weren’t sure how to respond; you knew Stretch was trying to get a slight rise out of you for how he’s addressing Marc. You were quickly reminded of the fiasco that occurred earlier this week where the two of you bumped into Marc at the university food court and he joined the two of you for lunch. The entire time was Stretch making snide remarks toward Marc and rolling his eyelights every moment Marc complimented on your appearance. 

_“y’know, marco polo, hate to tell ya that this was an invite-only event…” Stretch mentioned from across the table, his eyelights shining with mischief as Marc turned his attention over to the skeleton in front of him._

_“He’s only joking! We’re **both** glad that you caught up with us to eat lunch.” You wrapped your arm through Marc’s (sneaking a squeeze of his bicep muscle, of course), shooting a knowing look at Stretch. _

_Your friend deadpanned, “oh yes, absolutely ecstatic. i forgot to bring the frankincense, gold, and murr to this holy moment.” You wanted to kick the snarky skeleton in the shin bone, watching a small grin cross his face._

_Marc chuckled in response, putting an arm on your shoulders and pulling you closer to him, “Surely you didn’t have to go through all that for my arrival, Wise Guy.”_

_“Oh trust me… **i didn’t.** ” Stretch countered, glowering at Marc. The conversation ended with a very tense staring contest happening between the two of them as you sat in awkward silence. You weren’t sure how to relieve the tension between the two of them other than changing the subject to something completely irrelevant._

“Stretch, do you _really_ care where Marc is?” You distracted yourself with opening up the school website and signing on to take the quiz. 

The skeleton shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, pinching a piece of cheese that fell on his plate and popping it into his mouth, “nah but my guess is ‘sittin’ at home and thinkin’ ‘bout the water cycle’. am i right? that seems like somethin’ marc-y marc and the borin’ bunch would do to pass the time.” Not even paying any mind to Stretch’s comment, you decided not to let him press further into the subject and opened the instructions of the quiz.

You’re truly clueless on why Stretch gets so peeved about Marc. For starters, the guy actually doesn’t treat you like garbage like past boyfriends or flings have done. Stretch, of course, reacted similarly with those men, but certainly it comes as a surprise to see him treating a genuine guy so poorly. It’s almost like something is bothering him that he can’t even voice to you. Or he chooses not to tell you. 

Or Marc just really pisses him off for whatever reason. 

You really enjoy Marc, though. The other day he randomly stopped over to help you with some homework and to deliver your favorite snack and wine. It was a sweet gesture as it made doing homework early worth the hassle (hello, especially that make-out session the two of you engaged in on your couch. Not something you pictured Marc doing but it was exciting to you nonetheless as it was spontaneous and helped relieve some of the tension you received from the homework) and it allowed you to spend some much needed time with him. 

However, it was enough to balance between hanging out with Marc and Stretch. You quickly learned trying to hang out with the both of them at the same time (exhibit A: the horrible lunchtime) was more inconvenient than picking separate days and times to see the two of them. You’re hoping this is just a phase and you’ll soon get over that hump in the relationship. 

Enough bullshit though; you have a quiz you desperately need to pass! 

“Alright, I got the quiz up. You want me to take it first and then you copy?” You questioned, watching the skeleton ponder on the subject. 

After a moment of thought, he answered, putting his plate on the coffee table in front of him and folding his arms behind his skull, “you took the quiz first last time, darlin’. let me do the honors this time.” 

“What a noble man. Your actions are truly the backbone of this country.” You quipped while reaching for a hair tie on your wrist to wrap your hair with, listening to Stretch snort at your comment. 

“i’m shocked i haven’t been honored for my heroic deeds yet; it’s unacceptable. though, i blend into the crowd just like any ordinary american citizen so it’s understandable for them to miss a guy like me.” 

There was a short pause before you turned to your friend to stare at him after his ridiculous comment, “Stretch, you’re a skeleton.”

He waved off your comment and smirked at your reaction, “like i said, completely ordinary.” 

“Whatever. What’s your username so I can log you in?” You prepared your fingers at the keyboard, ready to type in Stretch’s information quickly. 

“i’ll spell it out for ya, sugar: m-o-n-s-t-e-r-d-o-n-g-4-2-0.” You typed the first few letters hastily before you realized what he was uttering to you, wishing now more than ever you could wipe the smug look off his bony face. 

You groaned in frustration, pinching the bridge of your nose, “Stretch! I’m serious! I need your school information, not your Pornhub account.” 

“fuck, how did you figure out i had that?” He murmured with false panic, his eyelights growing in size as he glanced over at you. 

At this point, it was taking you two forever to even begin the quiz! Especially since it’s due in only a few short hours! While it shouldn’t be hard because the class itself didn’t have difficult content to learn, you wanted plenty of time to have to look over the material while taking the quiz. Thank god for open note quizzes and online tests.

Once you gave him a pointed, no-nonsense look, he finally agreed to stop fooling around and told you his school email and password. 

“Alright, you ready? I have the book open so I can look up answers if need be.” But instantly you were waved off by your friend, a smirk crossing his boney face. 

“i got this, hon. no need to worry ‘bout ol’ stretch here. if i know anythin’ from high school and class today, it’s that ‘the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell’. if i know that, i should be golden in life.” You slowly turned your gaze to Stretch, searching for the punchline of the joke he just delivered. Wait, is he serious!?

You didn’t respond at first; all you did was blink for a moment as you processed exactly what was happening. “Stretch, honey… this is a quiz on Art History. You… knew that right?” 

Immediately, the smug smile on Stretch’s face was wiped off completely; in fact he looked mildly panicked. The eyelights inside of his skull shrunk a little and he laid there silently, basking in the realization of what you just said to him. Apparently, he was not kidding and is finally registering that maybe falling asleep in class was not the wisest decision he’s ever made. 

“...shit,” sliding his hands down his face, Stretch groaned loudly, looking up at the ceiling, “...a’ight, i may need a little more help than originally planned.” It seemed your lovely gray cat could sense his favorite person’s sudden stress and climbed over you to crawl into his lap. Stretch didn’t miss a moment to reach down and scratch between his ears. 

You quickly pressed the “Start Quiz” option that opened up to you and smiled back at Stretch, “No problem, with my brains and your beauty, we’ll manage, for sure.” 

“ya mean your brains and _your_ beauty, right sugar?” You certainly didn’t miss the silly grin on his face. 

You also didn’t miss the light blush that spread on your cheeks. 

______

“Finally!” You slammed your textbook shut, placing it on the coffee table in front of you as if to say “good fucking riddance” to this stupid quiz. Stretch, who has simultaneously been pulling the strings of his sweatshirt tight and undoing the hood for the past thirty minutes as you took the quiz (again), chuckled at your actions.

With your help and the open textbook, Stretch was able to pass his quiz with relative ease. There were some questions you had absolutely no idea on, which you referenced the textbook to find the answers, while some you knew the exact answer from the class discussion today. It’s a good thing one of you stays awake during lectures or else you would both be screwed. Oh, and failing miserably at an supposedly easy 101 class. However, due to the fact that you knew all the answers to the quiz after Stretch submitted his, you were able to answer all the necessary questions and finish with a perfect score. 

“i’ll take my c, as in ‘c’ ya later.” You snorted at his lame joke, falling backwards on your couch with a sigh. At this point, all you wanted was to curl up on the couch with a warm blanket and binge watch more of the show that you and Stretch have been invested in. After watching episode one, you both were hooked to no return and now on episode five. Maybe even tonight, you both could finish the show and he could just stay over. You’ve been dying to finish this series, but it’s forbidden for either of you to watch even a minute without the other. 

Before you could voice your thoughts out loud, Stretch had pushed his hood off his skull before swinging his long legs over the side of the couch to stand up. You watched as he staggered over to the kitchen. 

“Where are you going? We have a Netflix date!” You heard the fridge door swing open and some shuffling, meaning he was totally raiding your refrigerator at this very moment. 

The muffled sounds of his voice confirmed your suspicions, “it’s a’ight sugar. jus’ makin’ a bologna sandwich.” You crinkle your nose at the thought of the disgusting lunch meat. You only kept around this type of food for Stretch, avoiding it like the plague when he wasn’t around. However, it did warm your heart whenever you bought something from the grocery store that he enjoys, relishing in the grin that crossed his features immediately after he sees the packaging. You sucked up having to view his unpleasant tastes in food just so you could watch him glow from your thoughtfulness. 

“Stretch, we literally just ate tacos not even an hour ago. There are even leftovers!” There was no convincing Stretch to avoid his sudden, weird cravings, though, so you knew no matter what you said, he wouldn’t change his mind. 

“eh, want bologna,” was the response you received as you shook your head, reaching for your phone to scroll through as you waited for his return. 

You were surprised to see that you had a few missed calls from Marc and some unread text messages. You quickly pressed on the notifications, reading through his texts. You noticed the spaced out time between messages. 

**Marc: Hey, sweetheart. Just checking on you. Did you take your quiz? Was wondering if I could stop by tonight.**

**Marc: __________, it’s been a while since you’ve texted me back. Are you alright?**

**Marc: I’m really sorry to be blowing up your phone but I’m worried. I’ll be stopping by just to check on you.**

_Wait… Marc was coming over? **Tonight** of all nights?_

You were quick to read back through the exchange between the two of you, searching for the text you had sent him on hanging out with Stretch. However, after no results, you noticed you never informed your boyfriend through text on your night with your best friend. In a state of panic, you typed out a message to send back Marc, feeling your entire body start to heat up from nervousness. 

**You: Hey! Sorry I didn’t respond, I was taking the quiz with Stretch. No need to worry! Where are you at now?**

You prayed that he would be at home still and this was just an overreaction, as it always seemed to be. The only thing calming you was the sound of Stretch opening and closing your cabinets in the kitchen as he hummed lowly. Surely Marc wouldn’t show up tonight; he would get your message and it would all be understood and you wouldn’t have to deal with the whirlwind of drama that only stirred when the two of them were in the same room. 

However, the sound of knocking on the door further pushed your thoughts of reassurance down into the pits of your stomach, drowning whatever peaceful fantasies you had in your stomach acid. 

“didja order somethin’, hon? i could’ve made ya a sami if you were still hungry.” Stretch called from the kitchen as you swallowed your pride and made your trek towards the front door. You ignored answering your friend, looking in the peephole to confirm that indeed, the terrible whirlwind was about to make a bitch of an entrance.   
As soon as you opened the door, you were met with irresistible hazel eyes hidden behind brown-framed glasses. Marc’s face, though, was contorted into a look of worry and concern. 

He sighed in relief, putting his hand on his chest, “I’m so sorry to be surprising you, but I got concerned after you didn’t respond to my texts.” All you could do was smile weakly, not entirely sure how to respond since you know the horrible situation that was about to occur as soon as Stretch was finished with his adventure in the kitchen.

“Look, I’m sorry for not responding. I was busy taking the quiz and-...”

Again, as if God wanted to torture you more by tightening the metaphorical ropes on your wrists a bit tighter, you noticed you spoke too soon. 

“well, crayola marc-er. didn’t know you were invited to netflix night.” 

The tall skeleton stood in the living room, his voice muffled by the bologna and honey sandwich he was chewing on. The look on his face read anything but happy. Stretch usually hid his emotions well but when it came to Marc, his everday lazy grin was a no-show. You watched as the eyelights inside his skull dimmed and shrunk in size, a usual sign he was peeved. Since Marc is not around Stretch often, however, this might be something he perceives as normal. 

The man in front of you glanced over your shoulder, plastering a fake smile on his face, “Ah, Stretch. I didn’t realize you were going to be here with ________.” 

“interesting development, demarc-racy. however, this is what we do essentially every friday night.” He made his way over back to his couch and slumped down on it, placing his high-tops comfortably on the coffee table in front of him. You and Marc watched his movements, the anxious heat you felt from earlier now burning your neck. Your entire body felt on fire as you observed the exchange. You noticed that Stretch won’t even refer to him by his real name anymore, instead resorting to calling your boyfriend witty, irritating nicknames. You knew he only did that whenever he truly disliked someone. 

Marc just nodded his head in response, looking at you for support. He was desperately asking for your help to intervene soon before the conversation turned more sour than it already was. 

“Oh! Marc just got concerned when I didn’t respond to his texts tonight while we were busy taking the quiz.” You were hoping that excuse was enough to convince Stretch to lay off. You weren’t going to ditch him for Marc, nor would you ever, especially on a Friday night. Marc was simply just checking up on you, since you’re usually attached to your phone when the two of you are texting. It’s quite unusual for you to not respond within a few hours unless you are sleeping. 

With a mouthful of bread and bologna, Stretch furrowed his bonebrows as he looked between the two of you, “so… he drove all the way here?” 

“Well, I didn’t know the two of you were hanging out. Plus, I did want to surprise her tonight.” Marc put his arm around your shoulders, pulling you into a semi-hug as you wrapped around his torso out of habit. You did not overlook the change in Stretch’s pupils once again at the action.

Stretch chuckled dryly, taking another bite of his sandwich, “you certainly surprised the both of us, marc-ury. now, i’m sure your sock drawer needs some tlc. you’d probably have more fun re-organizin’ it rather than watchin’ netflix with us.” 

“Oh no, actually I’d love to join! You know I love exciting tv shows. What are you watching, sweetheart?” Marc directed the question towards you, totally ignoring Stretch’s comment as he squeezed your shoulder with his (fairly) large hand. However, the reassuring touch did not ease your anxiousness. In addition, you could physically see Stretch’s whole demeanor suddenly change at Marc’s comment.

While you liked your boyfriend, he put you in a tough situation and _fast._ You did not appreciate the fact that he invited himself to your night with Stretch, but you always had a problem saying no, especially to someone with as kind of a soul as he has. However, this was your night with Stretch and with Marc in your life now, your hangout times with your best friend were lessening by the week. 

You just knew that if Marc stayed, the thick fog of tension between the two of them would only darken and Stretch would have no problem making more snarky comments towards your boyfriend during the entirety of the show. 

You extended your hand up to Marc’s face, gently rubbing his cheek in consolation in hopes that whatever you say next won’t completely tear him apart. “Look, Marc, it was _so_ incredibly sweet for you to stop over to check on me, but this is something Stretch and I have done since high school back at home…” You gestured towards your skeleton friend, who was in mid-bite of his sandwich. He raised his boney phalanges and gave Marc a wave partnered with a snide grin. 

“Oh! Yeah, don’t mind me then. I understand. Sorry I bothered the two of you.” The disappointed look on Marc’s face shattered you, breaking you into thousands of pieces as you thought about how you wish your boyfriend and best friend could get along easier. He slowly unwrapped himself from your embrace. 

The tall man leaned forward to plant a soft kiss on your forehead before whispering to you, “Glad you’re safe, sweetheart. Wanna call me sometime tonight after he heads to bed?” You nodded, hoping your gentle smile would be enough of an apology for now. You knew later on, you were going to have to explain yourself over the phone, though. 

“Sorry again for dropping in so suddenly and now leaving quickly. Stretch, I’ll, uh, see you later. Gute nacht!” Marc waved to the skeleton on the couch, earning a weak one in return. 

Stretch was still chowing down on his sandwich, unenthusiastically answering to Marc, “yea, gluten free to you too, bud.” 

With Marc’s exit, you shut the door as he sulked out and towards the apartment complex’s stairs. You viewed his movements through the peephole and sighed to yourself. 

“well that went well. didn’t know he was gonna make a grand entrance.” You didn’t even respond to your friend as you made your way back to your couch and grabbed the nearest blanket to curl into, your hand reaching for the remote. 

There was a silence that fell between the two of you as you searched through Netflix for your show. You weren’t sure how to explain to Stretch your feelings of what just happened. You loved Marc’s gesture of showing up to check on you, however you could’ve sworn you told him about your Friday nights with Stretch. If not in text, maybe in person. However, in turn, Stretch always has to make rude comments towards your boyfriend, even though sometimes you _do_ find them funny. You adored them both dearly and while this has been going on for a month now, you knew it was only the beginning. You had to convince Stretch that Marc was a good guy and wasn’t going to hurt you emotionally or physically. If not, the situation was only going to get worse and you would find yourself so stuck in the middle that you’d find yourself wanting to ditch both parties for your own sanity. 

Not long after the quiet though, you heard a soft voice to your right as the couch dipped next to you. “you alright, sugar? i’m uh… sorry for what i said. i appreciate you stickin’ with me this evenin’ though.” The genuine apology plus the gentle smile was enough to ease your nerves again. While he can be a snarky asshole, you did love your best friend. He’s only looking out for the best of you and was quick to protect you at any sign of a threat. 

You snuggled your head into the comfortable back of the couch as you looked back at the skeleton, “It’s okay. He wouldn’t understand our jokes.” 

“nah, he wouldn’t.” Stretch replied, leaning back in his seat as well as you pressed play, ready to exit reality and enjoy another world for a while. 

You definitely needed a distraction after this near disastrous turn of a night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it too early to mention a playlist I made on Spotify that I listen to while writing this story? No? Yes? Well, here you go anyway.  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/20AEXYXdr4LXhA8uwHgy1m?si=2ywAZX0nS7yFG6RWaYPlrg  
> I'm always open to song suggestions for our Stretchy Boi if you have any :)


	3. The Ray of Sunshine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three is here and I'm excited to share it with you all! Sorry for the long wait; excuses are excuses but I have an adult job to put up with and it requires all my attention usually. Plus I had a computer incident and needed a new one. However, I will have a week off from work in the next few weeks so I *will* be working on Chapter 4 during that break. I'm determined!!!
> 
> Anyway, please enjoy a long chapter and more Stretch Pantalones content.

You were _hustling_ , trying your best to avoid other walking students trying to get to their destination as well as trying to control your breathing. 

_Am I really **this** out of shape? _

Crossing campus from the cafe to the communications building meant you had to speed walk if you wanted to make it to class on time. Especially since today, five minutes were wasted standing in line at the cafe since the sorority girl in front of you was ordering for her entire group of friends. (You weren’t aware that having ten plus friends was a thing until you met the girls of Kappa!) 

After several weeks of classes, you’ve adjusted to the long journey; finding which routes would slow you down and which ones actually worked. When you finally figured out going behind the dorm buildings was the fastest path, you decided to include a brief stop at the university cafe to grab a latte before heading off to this communications course. However, you were slowed down from factors beyond your control, so now you’re wondering if you can even find a good enough seat that wasn’t right in the front or way in the back. You usually have to deal with the very front row of the classroom and the professor tends to call on you for acting out scenarios or answering questions from the textbook. 

You adjusted your headphones in your ears, the music playing loud enough to cancel out any other noise from the bustling college street next to you. Ahead, you had to dodge another being whose attention was glued to their phone. A quick side step helped to avoid a collision; though with a quick glance over your shoulder, you noticed the other student’s head never looked up to see what was in his pathway. 

Sipping your salted caramel latte, you noticed the roof of the communications building above the trees in the distance, your mouth involuntarily letting out a sigh of relief. You wouldn’t be too late; you were really trying to better yourself and shake off such a bad habit. Plus, this professor was _always_ on time to this class. 

You felt extremely proud of yourself when you arrived at the front doors of the building shortly after, wishing now you would’ve slowed down your pace enough to where you didn’t sound like you ran ten miles straight. However, on time is a new record and that means you can get a decent seat, so the breathing can be handled. 

The classroom your course was in was a smaller room, not quite the size of auditorium classes but decently big to fit the class of 50. A group of students were already in there, their laptops open as they prepared to take notes from the lecture. One student was talking quietly on the phone, repeating a dull “okay” and “yes” over and over again. He was definitely on the phone with his mother. 

You walked forward and chose a row of seats in the middle of the classroom, placing your backpack down at your feet as you settled into your chair. Pulling out your own laptop, you began preparing for the lecture that was to come in a few short minutes. 

So this is what being on time felt like? Being able to actually catch your breath and find a decent seat? Getting a moment of peace before having to jump headstart into the lesson? You made a quick reminder in your head that maybe you should really start making an attempt to be early to this class. 

As you opened up a document and began typing today’s date and the course title at the top, you were interrupted by a light tap on your shoulder and a friendly “Excuse me?” You, of course, turned to the source of this overly-excited voice and was met with a bright white smile accompanied with equally smiling blue eyes. The girl, whom you’ve seen a few times in this class before, was the epitome of a ray of sunshine; from her long, perfectly wavy blonde hair to the soft crinkle of her nose as she waited patiently for your complete attention. You’ve heard her speak in class a few times and her tone was never anything less than jovial. However, you weren’t completely sure of her name; this class is usually the one where if you get to bored, you start exploring new fics or online shopping. 

You had to make sure your face didn’t display any emotion of envy as you noticed she dressed so prim and proper while you were stuck wearing yoga pants and one of the university t-shirts you bought at orientation freshmen year. You were pretty sure there was a hot sauce stain on the chest you couldn’t get rid of no matter how many times you stuck it in the washing machine. 

“I’m **so** sorry to bother you, but is anyone sitting next to you?” She stood in front of you, the smile on her lips never leaving her face. 

You gestured to the seat next to you, “No! No, of course not.” You grinned in return, watching as she sighed in relief. 

“Thank you! I hate sitting anywhere in this room other than the middle.” The girl started settling into her seat, smoothing down the skirt of her sundress to sit in the chair and adjusting her backpack so she can grab the contents from it. You eyed her as she pulled out her own laptop and the course textbook (Dammit, you should’ve brought yours). Even her fingernails were perfectly manicured; you had never seen such a put-together college student. She was really starting to make you feel self-conscious about the hot sauce stain on your t-shirt. 

“You’re ________, right?” Wait, sunshine girl knew your name? 

“Oh! Uh, yeah-”

She was quick to interrupt though, the same chipperness in her voice from earlier, “I’m Lucy! I know you’re usually late to class but you seem to understand everything going on in this class.” At that statement, you subtly closed out of the Amazon tab you had open and ready for the lecture. You weren’t exactly sure if Lucy would actually judge you for online shopping in the middle of class, but you weren’t about to lose the opportunity to make a friend to potentially study with. 

You laughed, “I mean, I do pretty alright. It’s probably one of the only classes I don’t have with my best friend so I’m not as easily distracted with trying to keep him awake. I actually can pay attention to what’s going on.” 

Lucy let out a small laugh before pausing, as if she was caught up in a thought, “Wait a minute… are you also in Art History? With Dr. Parker at 10:00?” 

Oh god, how did she know _that?!_ You were seriously starting to consider that Lucy could possibly be your adorable FBI agent behind the laptop camera watching your every waking move. Yikes, how were you going to get out of explaining **that** fic you read the other day? 

You guess your emotions couldn’t hold themselves back this time as she let out a giggle accompanied with a snort, “Oh my god! Don’t look so horrified, _________! I promise I don’t stalk you. I’m actually in that same class and I was just wondering because I’m pretty sure I always see you with your cute boyfriend sitting in the back.” 

Still staring at the blonde, you leaned back into your seat to process what Lucy said. Marc has only accompanied you to Art History one time and it was after you two decided to get breakfast together at the commons on campus (which never occurred again, considering every time he asked after that you ignored him for an extra hour of sleep). Besides, he had to leave right after walking you over to the building for his own schedule of classes. So when she says “cute boyfriend”, she’s definitely not referring to him. 

Unless…

“Wait… are you referring to Stretch?!” This is definitely not the first time someone has mistaken your bone buddy as your significant other, but the shock value is still there, no matter how many times it has happened. 

“Is Stretch the _really_ adorable skeleton who always wears that orange sweatshirt?” She questioned back, her neverending grin somehow growing. 

You nod in response, Lucy practically jumping in her seat in excitement, “Then yes! I am absolutely talking about him! I see him often on campus and I gotta say, girl, he is absolutely adorable.” Now would _definitely_ be a good time to correct her. However, you could not avoid the blush that tinted your face a slight red. You begged to whatever higher power there be that she didn’t comment on it. 

You tried distracting yourself by averting her eager gaze with your laptop in front of you, “Oh uh, well Stretch actually isn’t my boyfriend. Him and I are just friends.” You mentioned softly.

Lucy tilted her head in confusion, pursing her lips, “Are you serious? You two are always together in that class and on campus. You two just seem extremely close.” 

You explained, “He and I have been friends since high school. I’ve never really considered him more than that. He just understands me better than anyone else, I guess.” You shrugged it off, messing with the mouse on your computer screen, distracting yourself with watching it move in a circular motion. 

She nodded her head in slight understanding, though you weren’t sure she was fully convinced of your non-infatuation to your best friend. Sure he was cute and you did enjoy the way he complimented you or gave you attention, but doesn’t everyone? Plus, you had Marc to give you all those things a boyfriend _should_ give. 

“Alright, if you say so,” she too busied herself with her laptop, setting up her notes to take as soon as the professor walked in and began the lesson, “though… does this mean he’s single?” Lucy raised an eyebrow as her bright grin turned more into a smirk. 

“Oh yeah,” you dismissed, “Stretch is very much single and not dating anyone as far as I know.” The girl seemed to perk up at this new information. You definitely didn’t miss the way her entire body language changed at this statement. 

Not that you really had any say in Stretch’s relationship status. You were obviously with Marc and Stretch had his fair share of interests walk in and out of his life. He hasn’t mentioned any women lately, but you weren’t going to push him to discuss it if he wasn’t comfortable enough. Surely he would bring it up to you if it was of any importance. 

Before Lucy could respond any further, the professor walked into the room, looking disheveled from having to rush into the room a few minutes late. You were too distracted with Lucy to notice the time. He had set down his bag filled with whatever notes he was going to discuss for the day before he apologized to the class for his tardiness. You looked around to notice the room had filled up while you were conversing with Lucy; some students typing away at their computers (definitely not taking notes of the professor’s monologue of the campus parking situation), some were on their phones, and others looked ready to get up and leave when given the chance. The blonde girl beside you sat up straighter as he moved into his lesson, watching him closely as he started up the projector to display his powerpoint. 

Your phone suddenly vibrated on the table, indicating you had a text message. You glanced quickly at the screen to see that your very friend that you mentioned earlier had texted you. 

**Stretch Pants: hey**

Another one came right afterwards, flashing on your screen. 

**Stretch Pants: u didn’t answer quick enough. i’m gonna have to come find u.**

You rolled your eyes at his obvious attempt to taunting your boyfriend. You really wish he’d let that entire situation go. Marc was simply concerned for your well being and Stretch just couldn’t see past that moment. You picked up your phone to reply, letting out a slight sigh in frustration.

**You: I will def not respond if you bring that up.**

**Stretch Pants: ur right. sorry. what r u doin after class?**  
You had to stop and think for a moment, the voice of your professor drowning in the midst of your thought process. 

**You: Nothing. Hoping to get some work done.**

With these swift responses, you guessed Stretch wasn’t busy and probably bored in his dorm room. His roommate was probably out roaming campus or smoking. 

**Stretch Pants: got it, sugar. wanna join me on the lawn?**

**Stretch Pants: u can just mow-sey on over.**

**Stretch Pants: ;)**

Oh yup, he was definitely bored. He never sends emojis because he’s usually too lazy to type them out. You had to hold back a snort to his obvious attempt at a pun. You cleverly thought out a nice comeback. 

**You: Sure. See you then, grass-hole. :)**

You smiled down at the screen at his reply that was a simple “ouch, hon”, finally putting your phone aside to concentrate back on the lecture. 

____________

“Hey, what are you doing right now? Are you busy?” 

Lucy had slung her pink backpack over her shoulder as you packed away your laptop.

You let out a sigh as the heavy bag weighed down your shoulders, “Oh, I was going to meet up with Stretch and get some work done. Why?” The two of you began walking together out of the classroom while other students filed out with earbuds in or finally getting to those phone calls that had to wait.

“I wanted to see if you were interested in hanging out; maybe grabbing lunch. Stretch is obviously more than welcome to join!” She tugged a strand of her flawless blonde hair behind her ear, beaming brightly as she waited for your answer. Passing a trash can on your way out, you threw out your empty latte cup, wishing you had way more to even get close to reaching this girl’s level of happiness. Caffeine was always key to keeping your mood up. 

You weren’t sure if you could even say no at this point. You did enjoy Lucy, though you were envious about how clean she looked compared to you. She was incredibly sweet and you helped her throughout class with some of the concepts the professor mentioned. But she was just incredibly friendly and kind, so seeing her grin when she asked you to hang out made it difficult for you to turn down the invitation. 

You mirrored her grin, pulling on the shoulder straps of your backpack, “Sure, that sounds good. We could go to El Nino down on Greene Street; Stretch is a huge fan of their fajita nachos and usually it’s quieter this time of day considering people are still in class.” 

“Does he like all Mexican food?” She questioned out-of-the-blue, the two of you heading towards the center of campus. You were sure Stretch was napping on a hammock or wandering to the school convenience store to grab some munchies for tonight. 

“Stretch? Oh he _lives_ for Mexican food. I’m not one hundred percent, but I’m convinced his last name is Chimichanga from the amount that boy eats. The only thing he won’t eat there are the silverware and napkins.” You joked, the girl giving you a loud laugh in response. 

You must say her company is welcoming, but you had a gut feeling she was slightly interested in your friend. Obviously when she asks this many questions about him, especially if he’s single, she might like him. Or maybe she’s just genuinely curious about your best friend. You were sure you’d quickly find out once the three of you met up and she started talking to him. 

Lucy kept the conversation going for a few minutes, talking about what kind of food she enjoys and somewhat of her major. You learned she was a studying to be a teacher. Typical, if you looked up “kindergarten teacher” in the dictionary, a picture of her in this sundress would probably be matched with the definition. She discussed how many hours of classes she has to take in order to enter the teaching program they provide on campus. The entire process seems like hell, but with a girl as friendly and as motivated as she is, you were sure she managed just fine. 

Suddenly, she flipped the conversation back on you, “So since you’re not dating Stretch, are you dating anyone?” 

You answered back, “Yeah, his name is Marc. He’s an engineering student who goes here too. We started dating a few months back. He’s pretty wonderful.” You could feel how starry-eyed you were getting just for mentioning your adorable boyfriend. Besides him busting in on yours and Stretch’s TV night a week back, he was honestly faultless. Though, it suddenly dawned on you that he has yet to send you a text today. You made a mental note that when you arrived at El Nino, you’d text him to check on him. 

Lucy countered as you both crossed the street on the walkway, “Oh! Can I see a picture of him?” 

You blindly felt for your phone that was in the side pocket of your bookbag, grabbing the device and pulling it out. You swiped through your recent photos, finding the newest Snapchat you screenshotted of him. He was simply grinning at the camera, his glasses sliding off the bridge of his nose slightly, wearing a neatly-ironed dress shirt. You seriously couldn’t get over how stunning his hazel eyes were, or the broad shoulders he had. 

Handing the phone over to Lucy, you patiently waited for her reaction before she gasped in awe, staring down at your boyfriend’s selfie. 

“Girl, he is a cutie!” She stated with enthusiasm, grinning as she watched you gently take the phone back and shove it back into the side pocket. 

“He really is. I absolutely love his eyes and we can talk for hours about really anything. The only problem is Stretch can’t stand him and trust me, I’ve tried convincing him,” You defended, noting that you weren’t too far away from the center lawn of campus. Familiar surroundings such as the blooming cherry trees and brick sidewalk were indicators that you were getting close, as well as the university’s founder’s statue that stood in the middle of it all. 

Lucy frowned, which you feel is extremely rare for this literal ray of sunshine, “Really? Well maybe eventually he’ll like him. Stretch is probably feeling left out or something.” 

“Or something-” Was all you managed to get out as the two of you walked towards the lawns, a strumming sound heard in the distance. It wasn’t uncommon for some students to be busying themselves between classes by playing their instruments. What was odd about this situation was the singing that was paired with it. The voice had a thick southern accent, accentuating the song that was being sung. Though, the lyrics sounded out of place when you realized the strumming was coming from a ukulele. 

**Almost heaven, West Virginia**  
**Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River**  
**Life is old there, older than the trees**  
**Younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze**

The two of you looked at each other quizzically, wondering what in the world someone was doing loudly singing “Take Me Home, Country Roads” on the center lawn of campus. You eyed other students who displayed the same set of confused emotions on their face. Silently, you both decided to head towards the noise. 

The singing and strumming of the ukulele got louder. 

**Country roads, take me home**  
**To the place I belong**  
**West Virginia, mountain mama**  
**Take me home, country roads**

You had to pause for a moment, realizing that you might recognize that voice. Though the southern accent made it hard to tell. 

**All my memories gather round her**  
**Miner's lady, stranger to blue water**  
**Dark and dusty, painted on the sky**  
**Misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye**

Actually, you _definitely_ recognize that voice. You quickened your pace, the poor blonde having to keep up with you on your heels, even in her flats. 

“Oh good lord.” You said under your breath as you and Lucy finally approached to the spot. 

Under a tree in the middle of the lawn, singing loudly and strumming happily on his ukulele, was none other than Stretch. The skeleton was wearing his typical orange sweatshirt paired with black cargo shorts, though there were some new details to his outfit that you don’t quite remember him ever owning. You glanced at his new attire, which consisted of a black bucket hat on his skull along with black and green socks that had very distinct looking leaves on them. All this plus his black sliders and you got yourself a regular monster fuckboy. 

Who the fuck let him leave his room this morning looking like that!?

He still hadn’t noticed you and your new friend standing there as he continued singing, his phalanges moving across the strings of his ukulele. He was laying on his back with one of his legs perched on his knee, bobbing his foot to the beat of the song with his eyelids shut. It was almost as if he was in a complete trance, totally shut off from reality and in Stretch world. 

**Country roads, take me home**  
**To the place I belong**  
**West Virginia, mountain mama**  
**Take me home, country roads**

You noticed some students walking by, laughing at your friend as he confidently sang to the tree branches above him. Not that Stretch ever cared what others thought of him; he loved the attention he drew from others during his comedic moments. Some people were videoing him with their phones; others completely passing by him without a second glance. 

These were the moments where you felt conflicted emotions about Stretch. You absolutely loved him and how silly he was. You enjoyed how much he could make you laugh and cheer you up. It definitely made life much simpler to enjoy with a best friend like him. 

But in this instance, you’re standing in the dead center of campus, watching him strum a ukulele while wearing fucking weed socks and a Chino bucket hat. You weren’t sure whether to laugh until you can’t breathe, walk away from embarrassment and pretend you don’t know the man, or just stand frozen, processing what you were even witnessing in the moment.

You chose the last one. 

Stretch finally looked up when he heard Lucy giggling to herself at the sight before her, pausing mid-song. 

He bowed his hat with his fingers, still using the thick southern accent as his ukulele sat on his ribs, “howdy, pardners.” Lucy started laughing even more, Stretch smirking at her reaction as you did nothing but cover your face with your hands. You seriously hope Lucy is a good person to be around and you can hang out with her more because Stretch sometimes was _way_ too extra to deal with. 

Climbing onto his feet and completely ignoring the gawkers surrounding him, the tall skeleton stepped closer to you, “aw, c’mon sugar. you know i get bored waitin’ for ya to get outta class. i figured this campus needed some ‘yeehaw’ spice.” His voice returned to it’s norm, even though there was a hint of smug in his statement. 

“Stretch, I have several questions. For one, why the _hell_ did Mitch let you leave the dorm room with those atrocities on your feet!?” You pointed down to his socks, which caused him to look down. 

He wiggled his toes before giving you a light shrug, uttering nonchalantly, “mitch was high in the clouds before i left. the dude couldn’t even tell me the color of a stop sign, so there was no way he could’ve stopped me from wearin’ these bad boys, hon.” 

You opened your mouth to speak but Stretch interrupted, “-and if your other question is ‘bout why i chose country roads to sing, it’s ‘cause it’s a timeless classic, darlin’. can’t go wrong with the classics. now that i’ve answered all questions, are ya gonna introduce me to your pretty friend or keep me in the dark?” Your best friend gestured his hand to Lucy, who was standing quietly and listening in on the conversation between the two of you. She smiled at his compliment, a slight blush dusting her cheeks. 

“Whatever,” you dismissed the rest of your questions, continuing on with the introductions, “Stretch, this is Lucy. Lucy, this is my weird friend, Stretch.” 

“weird _best_ friend.” He corrected, holding out his hand to shake with Lucy’s, who was quick to meet him in the middle. 

The shy Lucy didn’t stay for too long during the exchange and she was back to her friendly self after the handshake, “It’s really nice to meet you, Stretch. ________ told me about you on our way over here.”

You added, watching as your bone friend smiled at the blonde, finally removing his hand from her grip, “Lucy is actually in Art History with us.” 

“oh, is she? well, she will have to start joinin’ us in the back,” he turned to Lucy, “you can sit next to me, darlin’. i got lots of art jokes to share with you. It’s just hard to _pick-asso_ one when there’s so many.” Stretch winked, causing the girl to laugh giddily in response while he smirked at her reaction. Oh he was absolutely relishing in this new audience. You couldn’t help but roll your eyes at the interaction. 

“I will definitely sit with you two next class. I’m curious about these jokes. You sound like you have many to _Van Gogh_ through.” Stretch let out a loud laugh at her joke. You glanced at your blonde friend to see her grinning ear-to-ear, her blue eyes shining with pride at her ability to make the skeleton chuckle. 

Observing the exchange, you concluded that they were absolutely flirting. You were not interested in watching this the entire lunchtime if this was all you were going to see. I mean, sure, Stretch has witnessed you and Marc being loving towards each other, but this? This is honestly borderline _cringy_ , in your humble opinion. You didn’t think you and Marc sounded nearly this bad nor did you ever see Stretch physically flinch in disgust at your remarks towards each other. 

You had to put a stop to this or you would be driven to complete madness. 

Before you could take anymore, you interrupted abruptly, “Hey, Stretch Pants, Lucy and I were discussing lunch options. I said we frequent El Nino. You in or you out?” 

Your bone friend turned to you, thinking for a moment before extending his arm out and around you, holding his ukulele by the neck in his hand, “you caught me off guard there, hon. say somethin’ that sexy again and the pants are gonna have to come off.” 

“Don’t be gross!” You didn’t attempt to shrug him off as the three of you started walking towards Greene Street in a line. 

“look, sugar. as we’ve discussed previously, i’m a simple skeleton monster: i hear el nino, my mind immediately thinks of sex. ‘cause that’s jus’ how good the nachos are. ever had the nachos, sunshine?” Stretch directed the question towards Lucy, who just shook her head with a smile still planted on her face. 

He let out a simple, lazy laugh, “oh hon, you’re in for a treat.” 

Your stomach growled as the two continued chatting, Stretch’s arm still around you. You weren’t sure if the stomach was growling because you were hungry and the nachos really did sound appetizing…

Or because you were envious of the fact that Lucy already had a special nickname with Stretch and they connected much faster than you thought they would.

You weren’t sure if you were really about to enjoy this lunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, now we have Lucy to worry about, guys.
> 
> God I love Stretch. Please give me more of this goofy man with weed socks and bucket hat playing ukulele on campus. What a weirdo,,, I want him to ruin me. LMAO Thanks again for the support. It means so much to me when you guys comment and kudos. I've written many, many stories in my lifetime but this one I was willing to share and just to know you're reading and like it means a lot. So thank you <3 
> 
> If you're curious about the song Stretch was singing, it's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver. 
> 
> Psst... The song "Like or Like Like" by Miniature Tigers has Stretch and Reader's relationship written all over it; just a PSA.


	4. Bony Shelter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW How did like... three months just go by like that? Yikes. ...So I'm alive.  
> I have zero excuses for my laziness other than fucking Writer's Block is a bitch on so many levels.  
> I am so appreciative of you guys still wanting to read this story. I've been thinking of writing other stories but SWMD is ALWAYS on my mind. Just... when I go to write it, my goldfish brain takes over. However, I had a string of motivation at midnight yesterday and here's what I got for you.  
> I just. Love writing Stretch entirely too much. And god, writing the second part of this chapter was so DELIGHTFUL. 
> 
> Enjoy some fluff and Stretchy goodness <3

“How was lunch with Stretch and your new friend earlier?” 

You were currently cuddled up in bed with Marc, his muscled arms wrapped around your torso as your head laid gently on his bicep. Jeff was snuggled on top of the blanket between your legs, comfortably purring as you moved a hand down to scratch between his ears. 

You sighed at his burning question, still recalling how uncomfortable you felt as a sudden third wheel. 

“Honestly, the entire time was spent with the two of them flirting and getting googly-eyed over nachos. It was not how I wanted to spend the afternoon originally, but I think God is somehow smiting me for illegally downloading music in the eighth grade. I’m convinced after hearing _that_ many art puns.” Your boyfriend started rubbing soothing circles on your back, listening to you as you vent. 

You continued, “I mean, it started okay. We just walked over to Greene Street, Stretch asking me about my day and cracking jokes with me. Lucy just quietly listened alongside and would pop into the conversation whenever necessary. It’s just when we were at the restaurant that this misery I had to endure began. As soon as we sat down in the booth, I became invisible!” 

Your venting was something you had to save for hours. Marc was busy with his new job at the university library, so you had to put this story on the back burner until he was off. The only other person you ever rant to is Stretch and this time, you were seriously annoyed with his behavior. 

Sure, it’s so great that he found another female to connect with, no matter how cringy the beginning of whatever they have going on is. Lucy is extremely pretty and Stretch has always had a thing for soft, delicate girls, so she fits perfectly. Not to mention how friendly and upbeat she is. You just weren’t sure how much of their relationship you can handle if it meant having to sit through another pun contest. 

Unfortunately for you, you had no excuses for being able to leave the lunch early so you were stuck with Stretch and Lucy until the end. Stuck to listen to every single shitty, artsy pun they could come up with. You usually enjoy hearing what kind of creative jokes Stretch can come up with, but listening to the practical tennis match of jokes bounce between the two was borderline nauseating. 

You really couldn’t wait until Marc got off of work to blow off some steam from this entire situation.

“Lucy was super sweet to talk to, as weird as it was to have her join Stretch and I for lunch today. Honestly, I really wouldn’t care if they started dating but,” you paused to pick up Jeff at your legs and bring him closer to the two of you. Your leg was getting the unfortunate familiar sensation of falling asleep at any moment had you not moved your cat. He meowed in protest as he was placed on Marc’s stomach, quickly taking leave as he didn’t appreciate his new spot. 

Marc continued where you trailed off, watching Jeff strut out of your bedroom, “But… you have a hesitation with your best friend being with this girl if it means leaving you behind or letting your established relationship deteriorate?” 

Lost in your thoughts, all you could do was nod and say a simple “yeah” in response to Marc’s theory. 

In all honesty, you _were_ overreacting and you realized that the more you ranted to Marc. Lucy and Stretch were just getting to know each other at lunch, as odd as the entire experience was. Besides, Stretch wasn’t purposely ignoring you; he wanted to make sure Lucy didn’t feel left out since the two of you already have plenty of history. 

However, you always feared losing anything you had an attachment to and Stretch was basically the person, or monster rather, you trusted your entire life with. To lose him to something as stupid as over a significant other would crush you and years of memories would be wasted forever. That and their jokes were just downright dreadful to listen to. 

All you could hope for is if Stretch decides to date Lucy, then this lunch was just a fluke and their bad puns will be left on that empty plate of nachos the three of you devoured in that time. 

_You hope._

Marc suddenly tightened his squeeze around you, leaning down to give you a soft peck on your forehead, “Look, sweetheart. If it means anything, you have me, you have Jeff, and you have your family. I know we’d definitely never leave you behind. Though, I don’t think Jeff has much of a choice…” 

You glanced up into his gentle hazel eyes that were beaming down at you, a smile that could make you a puddle to match, and immediately remembered that you do have a boyfriend that would listen to you and take care of you when you’re upset. Someone that leaves work and is instantly at your doorstep with open arms and ears to take on your rant that you’ve been saving, no matter how exhausted they are from their shift. Someone who doesn’t judge you about said rant and will give you any advice that is in your best interest. 

Although, you know Stretch would do the same for you.

In fact, you _definitely_ know your best bone friend would do the exact same as Marc did today. 

Before you could spiral into your endless thoughts, you were suddenly untangled from your boyfriend’s grasp, watching as he sat on the edge to pick up his clothes scattered on the floor. 

He was quick to explain, his deep voice puncturing the silence in your bedroom, “Shoot, love. I just realized the guys asked me to meet them online tonight for our game.” Shamefully mesmerized by his back muscles, you simply nodded, suddenly remembering the stress relief you taken part in a few short moments before your rant. 

_Does he really have to go though? I mean round two could absolutely happen…_

Marc stood up from his spot, buttoning his shirt in the process, “I’ll make sure to call you before I go to sleep tonight.” He leaned down, gently holding your chin to place a kiss right on your forehead, smiling softly afterwards. You returned the grin, taking a short moment to gaze into his hazel eyes again before he stood up straight, zipping his jeans. 

As Marc was walking out, Jeff pranced by, jumping onto his usual spot on the bed (that was so kindly taken by your boyfriend mere seconds ago). You observed as your gray cat curled into your side, taking the opportunity to enjoy the warmth left behind. Patting his fur, you smiled, wondering how lucky it’d be to be in Jeff’s position right now. 

_Oh to be a little cat with no friendship problems or drama. Just being fed food in a bowl and getting to sleep wherever you want all day…_

“Hey…”

You immediately met the gaze of your boyfriend, who was right under the bedroom door frame. 

“...Don’t stress out too much about Stretch, okay? It’s not worth your stress, sweetheart.” Marc mumbled, waiting for you to acknowledge his words. You gave him a nod, paired with a murmured “you’re right” and a small grin before he turned out of the room, walking towards your front door to leave. 

Marc _is_ right; this was definitely not worth all the stress you experienced since the afternoon. You don’t need to act weird around Stretch nor Lucy and you certainly don’t need to be upset. In fact, you should call your best buddy and see how he’s doing. That’s simple enough; you do this almost every day to discuss homework or to hear him discuss this brand new band he discovered. 

Yeah! You should definitely call him.

Reaching over onto your nightstand, you grabbed your phone off its charger, quick to punch in your passcode. Before you could search for his contact, you paused for a moment to propose a plan on what you should call Stretch about. 

Should you ask about Lucy? _No, you’re done hearing about her for the day._

Should you ask a question about the homework that is due in a few days? _Like Stretch Pants would believe that you’re not procrastinating on an assignment. Especially without him._

What about asking about his brother and how he’s doing? 

_Ah, there’s an idea._

Of course you miss Blue and you know you can talk plenty about him to Stretch to not sound so off about your day. 

However, you’ve never had this much trouble talking to Stretch before. Usually you can pick up the phone without any trouble and talk about your day with your best bone friend. You immediately blame it on your frayed nerves from lunch and remember this is _Stretch_ you’re stressing over: the same skeleton who wore weed socks around campus all day and swallows honey whole without an issue. The same skeleton who used to skip class in high school to sit in the school’s hidden stairwell to eat cheetos and watch Space Jam on his phone. The same skeleton who you’ve spoken to every day since the day he entered your life. 

Shaking your head and smiling, you search for his name under your messages, pressing the call button the first chance you got. 

You held the phone up to your ear, listening for the rings, waiting patiently for an answer.

**First ring**

“C’mon, Stretch. Please don’t be napping.”

**Second ring**

“Pick up, please, Stretch. Pick up.”

______________________

_Three years earlier…_

_**Third ring** _

_“Stretch, please, I’m desperate. Please pick up.”_

_Your current situation was quite pathetic, you’ll admit. Stuck on the sidewalk in front of the cafe you just experienced major heartbreak in, rain pouring above and soaking your outfit, you were **sure** you were written right out of a stereotypical teenage novel. Your phone was close to your ear, droplets falling right on your hand and streaming down your arm as you waited for the fourth ring. _

_You cried into the speaker, frantic for an answer, “Stretch, **please**.” _

_Finally, before the voicemail could even turn on, a raspy, drowsy voice entered the receiver, “hey sugar. how’s it-”_

_Before your friend could even finish his question, you broke down into a sob, your back hitting the brick wall behind you. Just hearing a voice of comfort was enough for you to completely let your emotions go._

_“darlin’? are you okay? tell me you’re okay.” There was panic in his voice; something you’ve never heard from Stretch before. The skeleton doesn’t panic in any situation. You could hear rustling in the background, which you quickly concluded as the sound of him throwing his bed sheets off and standing up._

_You couldn’t even control the cries from escaping your throat, your voice shaky with emotion and pain, “S-Stretch, can you p-please come pick me up? I… **I need you**.” You choked back a sob followed by an ugly sniffle. You wiped the oncoming tears on your wet sleeve, smearing your makeup all over the cloth. _

_“of course i can, sweetheart,” Stretch sweetly murmured into the phone; you could hear that he was pulling on his sweatshirt, “can you tell me where you’re at? i can be there in just a few minutes, hon.”_

_You turned to look at the sign above where you were standing, glancing at the words written in flashing neon, “B-Brickstone Coffee…”_

_In the receiver, you heard his footsteps on the wooden floor stairs plus the squeaky sound of his front door opening and shutting behind him, “i know exactly where that is. i’m comin’, sugar. stay put until i get there.” His soothing tone and his soft words were enough to make you breakdown into the speaker once again. Although you know that wasn’t his intention, you couldn’t help with the events that unfolded moments before you called Stretch._

_“shh, sweetheart. hey, i’m on my way,” The sound of his shitty truck ignition was heard in the background, along with the other car noises upon it’s startup, “i want you to take a deep breath ‘n count for me.”_

_You tried to do as Stretch suggested, your sobbing make it hard to steadily breathe in and out. The rain was coming down harder onto you and you wished you could’ve predicted this all to happen because an umbrella would be nice. You tried to think about how you won’t have to worry about it much longer though as soon as your best friend pulled up._

_“One…two...”_

_“that’s it, darlin’. easy now.”_

_“Three...four...five…” From the outside of this conversation, you probably looked extremely silly. Teenage girl, bawling her eyes out in front of this dainty coffee shop, soaking wet from the pouring rain, counting up to avoid another breakdown. You know it’s totally cliche for something like this to happen, getting broken up with in a cafe by someone you thought you were going to go through college with. To top all that off, your now ex boyfriend shared exclusively with you that he had already found someone in your place; he thought it was kind of himself to at least break things off before he got too serious with that other girl._

_Pushing aside the thoughts on what went down this evening, you took another deep breath, this one less strained than your previous one, and continued, “Six...seven…”_

_Stretch’s soothing voice soon returned into the receiver, “you’re doin’ great, hon. i gotta get through some stoplights to get to you, but i’ll stay on until i see ya.”_

_He kept his promise as you continued to count and take deep breaths between pauses. While you didn’t feel completely calmed down, you felt exponentially better than when you first called Stretch. Your chest felt less constricted and you loosened your jaw from the pressure you were previously putting on it, but it certainly didn’t change how you felt._

_Only a few more minutes passed, Stretch reassuring you he’d be there in a moment, before you noticed his truck at the closest intersection down the road. You let out a sigh of relief as the vehicle pulled up to the curb, the windshield wipers moving rapidly from the downpour that wouldn’t let up. You could see your bony friend’s silhouette through the passenger window, moving quickly to open his door and throw the hoodie of his orange sweatshirt over his head. Stretch didn’t even bother turning his car off, the headlights beaming into the rain before it._

_You had hung up the moment you noticed him driving up and pocketed your phone in the back of your jeans, paying close attention to your friend as he circled the front of his truck to stop in front of the sidewalk in front of you. Stretch’s face contorted in panic as the front of his sweatshirt heaved with the motion of his breath._

_**He truly hustled to get here. The first time he’s ever ran for anything.** _

_“darlin’?” He spoke over the heavy rain, his eyelights focused on your sopping wet outfit and hair. You knew he wanted to comment on your appearance, but knew it wasn’t the time when he noticed your trembling lip and tear stained cheeks._

_As soon as he stepped closer to you, you collided into him, your arms wrapping around his bony body. You sobbed into his sweatshirt, feeling at ease when his arms pulled you closer, his long phalanges rubbing your back in soothing circles. His usual towering form leaned down to rest into you, quietly listening to your heavy weeping as you released it all._

_You knew you were smearing your makeup all over the front of his hoodie._

_You knew you two looked totally ridiculous hugging it out in front of this coffee shop out in the pouring rain._

_You knew you should escape the rainfall soon before you catch a cold from the amount of water that’s on your cold body._

_But there’s no one else you’d rather see at your worst; no one else you wish you were wailing into as they hugged you close._

_“jesus, sugar, you’re shiverin’,” Stretch pulled away, his hands on your shoulders as he glanced at your shaking form, unable to hold back his soft smile at your little sniffle, “c’mon, let’s get you dry.” He draped his arm over you, walking you to the passenger door of his truck, grabbing your hand to help you in._

_There was an immediate contrast between temperatures of the outside and Stretch’s car. You could suddenly feel the cold water droplets from your soaking clothes falling down your back, your teeth chattering from your shivering as you sat in the cloth seat. Stretch climbed into the driver side, seeing you trembling from the rain that now covered you._

_He swiftly picked up a blanket off the ground in front of you, bundling you in the warm cloth as he pulled you close to him. He knew he needed to keep you warm, doing his best to aim the hot air from his AC at you and keeping his arm around your shoulder. He shifted his car into drive as he pulled away from the sidewalk, his one hand steering the two of you away from where he parked._

_There was a comforting silence between the two of you as he drove, the rain lightening up as his truck moved further down the street. You glanced into the rearview mirror to watch the building of the coffee shop shrink in the distance, a memory you wish to repress for a while. You took this opportunity to snuggle into Stretch, his bony fingers squeezing your arm in comfort as you pushed your head into his side._

_“sweetheart, i’m sure the furthest thing from your mind is tellin’ me what happened back there, so i won’t push it. however, i gotta know that you’re gonna be okay,” Stretch muttered delicately at you as his eyelights stayed focused on the road._

_You sighed numbly, examining each streetlight as they passed your vision, “Yeah… I’m better now.”_

_Your sudden question towards him was hushed, nervous at the possible rejection, “Can I stay… with you tonight?”_

_You peered up to see him spare a glance towards you, giving you the tiniest hint at a smirk, “and let ya stay **soaked to the bone** by yourself? of course you can. we’ll get you warm and then we’re gettin’ you to bed.” Quickly, you huffed air out of your nose in response to his joke, not entirely in the mood to laugh after the exhausting string of events, but you still couldn’t help the smile that crossed your face. _

_You seriously have no idea what you would’ve done without Stretch in this situation. You’ve never been so emotionally beaten like that and you’re not sure if anyone else could handle the stress._

_It was a few moments later that you finally arrived at his place, Stretch turning into the driveway. When he parked and turned off the ignition, you had no desire to move. Your entire body felt weak and you certainly didn’t want to peel yourself off your best friend’s side, not with how warm he feels. The two of you stayed in that exact position for a minute, just listening to the rain pound on the windows from the outside._

_“Stretch? Do I have to move?” You murmured to your friend, interrupting the stillness. You felt him shift above you, rotating just slightly to gaze down at your form._

_He chuckled at how nestled you were into his side, “darlin’, i doubt you wanna sleep in my truck tonight. besides, my bed’s callin’ our names.”_

_Stretch leaned over to grab his keys from the ignition, stuffing them in the front pocket of his hoodie. You, however, continued to sit like a rock. “This is just a ploy to get me in your bed.” You jokingly muttered, shutting your eyes as you felt his body vibrate from his laughter._

_“damn, i sure hope it works. it won’t take much for me to get you outta your clothes, them bein’ soakin’ wet and all.” He retorted back, grinning when he heard you snort into his sweatshirt. He carefully pulled his arm off you, reaching to open his door before he felt you tug on his sleeve. He peered behind him, seeing you sit up as you held the blanket closer to you._

_You smiled, your fingers gripping his sweatshirt, “...I just wanted to say thank you. Y’know… for always being there for me.”_

_His expression immediately matched yours, a weak, but loving smile in his teeth, as he leaned down and pressed the faintest kiss on your forehead. You were shocked by his gesture, your cheeks tinted red from the act as he whispered close to you._

_**“i’ll always be there for ya, sweetheart. i’ll be here for you until you don’t want me anymore.”** _

_You knew he’d always stick to his word._

______________________ 

**Third ring**

“Stretch… seriously. Your napping habits are the worst!” You exhaled into the speaker, watching Jeff’s sleeping form next to you. 

Finally, the phone stopped ringing and Stretch’s drowsy voice answered in a drawl, “hey sugar. did ya miss me that much?”  
Remembering how anxious you were to call him a moment ago, and feeling all the nerves leave your body as soon as you heard him speak, you laughed to yourself. 

“Yeah, Stretch Pants. I certainly missed you." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LISTENED TO AN ENTIRE PLAYLIST OF SAD INDIE MUSIC TO REALLY SET THE TONE FOR THAT SCENE. 
> 
> But God damn, I wish I could snuggle into Stretch's side as he drove his shitty truck. 
> 
> Also apparently I forgot homeboi could teleport but like.... where's the fun in that? We wouldn't be able to cuddle the man in his truck as he COMFORTED US. Take me to your bed, Stretch. 
> 
> Thanks for the kudos and comments as always. <3 It really makes my day and it strengthens Jeff Goldblum the Cat's desire to rip Marc to shreds. (I'm totally kidding but seriously, like father, like son. Jeff don't like Marc-y Marc.)
> 
> Hi, I also have a UT tumblr that I started back during chapter 1 of SWMD and I just wanna say it’s there and I’m always open to chat about Skelebois like Stretch Pants. <3   
> It’s @katsclawswrites   
> I like to reblog neat art and put my feelings in the tags.


End file.
